Can you guys recommend me some well-known custom shops that aren't pricey? So far, I haven't found any shops that offer guitars in the same price range as Carvin for the same quality. I looked at a bunch of shops yesterday night, Daemoness, KxK, Mayones, Suhr, RAN, and every one of them seems to start at around the $3k mark. Are there any other shops out there, that produce quality guitars for under $3k?
Looking for affordable custom shops
- Thread starter Eptaceros
- Start date
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Razzy
[10]
Vostre Roy
Disciple of Djod
If you ain't ready to pay 3k for a guitar, you ain't ready to go custom IMO
Carvin and Warmoth are your best bet then
Carvin and Warmoth are your best bet then
I know oakland axe factory makes some neat stuff for a very good price, check out the black friday special run thing in the dealers section. He did a run that very affordable with nice features. I know his regular stuff is a bit more, but I still think it starts under 2000
cardinal
Buys guitars, sometimes plays them
I believe that you could get a non-maple-topped Suhr or Anderson for a few hundred less than 3k if you're careful with the options.
There are plenty of lesser known builders out there that'll be more than happy to build you a cheap custom, just don't expect it to be on the same level as the shops you mentioned.
Carvin gets by using semi-customs and building them on a large scale, via a very streamlined production operation. Don't compare them to builders who only put out a very small fraction or those who do full custom work. It's apples and potatoes.
There are dozens of shops that put out quality guitars for under $3k, they just aren't customs, and their are dozens of shops that put out customs for well under $3k, they just aren't as quality oriented.
A custom shouldn't be something where you're shopping with your wallet first, or are looking to be thrifty. It should be a guitar that you're looking to own for a very long time, and you have very specific needs for. All six of those builders you mentioned make a very specific product, are you really sure you know what you want?
Carvin gets by using semi-customs and building them on a large scale, via a very streamlined production operation. Don't compare them to builders who only put out a very small fraction or those who do full custom work. It's apples and potatoes.
There are dozens of shops that put out quality guitars for under $3k, they just aren't customs, and their are dozens of shops that put out customs for well under $3k, they just aren't as quality oriented.
A custom shouldn't be something where you're shopping with your wallet first, or are looking to be thrifty. It should be a guitar that you're looking to own for a very long time, and you have very specific needs for. All six of those builders you mentioned make a very specific product, are you really sure you know what you want?
As a lefty, I don't have many good stock options to work with, and as a college student, I just don't have that kind of dough. I'll look into Warmoth!
Go Carvin then. Warmoth has 25" and 28.625" scale 7s.
Max, I appreciate the concern but as I mentioned in a previous reply, I don't have many lefty options, so I might as well put matters into my own hands and have a guitar that is more or less suited for me. I'm not looking for radical designs or over the top features, I just want to have the availability of a super-playable quality guitar. I guess my question should've been: are there any pseudo custom shops similar to Carvin? I've already got a carvin, I'm curious if there are any alternatives.
Vostre Roy
Disciple of Djod
I'm gonna be that jerk but: You could had learned to play a regular guitar
Anyway, went through college aswell. Had to stick with my good ole Schecter for over 3 years without being able to buy anything else. Never in my college years have I been tempted to buy a custom because I knew they were over what my pocket would allow.
What I'm saying, is that you'll probably have to wait if you want a full custom, as Max said. Or stick with what is available. Choice is limited when you are money short, but once you begain to gain enough money, you'll be able to get what you want.
Cheers!
MikeH
Bring the gain
Either Carvin or Agile semi-custom.
asher
So Did We
Unfortunately, the Agile semi custom shop won't be open until late summer-ish.
great_kthulu
Well-Known Member
I would check out Blackwater Guitars. Beautiful stuff for an excellent price. I had pretty much my dream 7 specd out at about 1700$
Black Water Guitars | Home
Black Water Guitars | Home
before knowing the good custom shop, no offense, do you know exactely what musicweapon you want ?
what is your reference ?
and please don't expect Quality with a big Q without the cost with a big $ !
what is your reference ?
and please don't expect Quality with a big Q without the cost with a big $ !
I got quality for $1300 from Carvin, so I don't see why I can't find something similar elsewhere. As to what I'm looking for, I'm not as rigid about my axe as some on here, but essentially I'm looking for variety. I've got a Schecter C7 Blackjack and a Carvin DC727. I'm trying to have a third that is unlike those two and hopefully of even better quality so I can be well-equipped for touring this summer.
You didn't really read my post did you?
Carvin is in a unique position in the industry. They are big and well established enough to be able to balance thier pricing. They move enough units to lower unit price and have developed a semi-custom building platform unlike any other shop in the industry.
The only ones that come relatively close are G&L, and that's for different reasons.
I was actually responding to zark's statement: "don't expect Quality with a big Q without the cost with a big $ !"
Anyway, I fully read your post and understood, that's why in response to what you wrote, I posed a question. Maybe you didn't read mine
Eptaceros said:
TheBigGroove
Well-Known Member
Siggery customs (kind of black machine rip offs in my opinion) will only run about 2k after being shipped to the U.S.
They've been reviewed in guitar world and all that I think too
They've been reviewed in guitar world and all that I think too
HighGain510
Contributor
Solid logic.
Dude, re-read the responses and understand that people aren't giving you advice pulled out of their asses, they're trying to help you understand why what you are asking for is very difficult to find. I've been around the custom shop block a few times and I'll tell you straight up in your price range, if you're not going Carvin chances are you're going to get a guitar of so-so quality if you're shopping for a small luthier build "on a budget". If you want something high quality in a lefty, you can either spend $1300 for a Carvin or pony up and get something in the $3K range to get quality with higher levels of customization. Guitars in the low range with a small builder just won't have the quality you're demanding. 
There is a reason the GOOD builders don't charge $1200-1600 for their builds. 
